Artificial Intelligence Cars - Essay Example

Institute Affiliation

Introduction

Artificial intelligence is the most talked about and hyped up technology of today’s world, and it is set to change the entire face of technology in the coming years. The basic idea behind Artificial Intelligence or AI is that it allows and programs a technology to act and think just like a human being, based upon the different human inputs which are added into the technology. It can be applied to any such machine or technology which thinks like a human being, acts like a human being, and solves problems like a human being. People often confuse AI with the technology of robots, and where some robots can be conditioned to work as an AI machine, not all robots have the ability to make decisions by themselves, based upon the inputs they have, rather they are controlled by human beings. The theory of artificial intelligence claims that human beings and their actions are so predictable and can be easily mimicked that machines and newer technology can be produced and conditioned to act in the same way. This doesn’t take into account the special and rare cases where some human beings have a different way of looking at things. (Frankenfield, 2020)

Artificial intelligence is being used in so many different aspects of life now, as machines make the work more consistent and standardized, while at the same time making sure that there are no errors. Some of the different applications of AI are in gaming and mobile phones, when a human character can be mimicked by a computer-based one, similarly, it can also be used in much more complex situations like finance and banking where it helps the banking system remain flawless and protected, and can detect whether there is a fraud being done or not. A very common example of this is the ‘are you a human?’ part of a login, where the website asks a human being to identify themselves by either recognizing pictures or copying a handwritten note; something a machine won’t be able to do. One new addition to AI has been autonomous cars, which means that such cars will drive themselves, without the need for a human being. And since the concept is fairly new to the world, there are many ethical, moral and legal dilemmas attached to it which will be discussed ahead. Such dilemmas are the reason why cars haven’t been accepted by the world yet, and until a possible solution is reached, they probably never will be.

The technology of AI Cars

Many different companies, like Tesla, are currently working hard to make driverless cars, and make them in a way that it answers all the different ethical constraints that people have. Companies install the respective technology inside the cars, and drivers are present in the car during the test drives to see where the AI system isn't working well, but once a proper system is procured, the drivers leave, and the cars drive on their own. The technology is so well equipped that it can sense traffic, it knows when to drive and when to stop, and it knows the different speeds it is supposed to drive at. (Nyholm & Smids, 2018)

Artificial intelligence is being used at four different levels, each level increasing the reliance on the AI system and relying less on the human driver. The first kind is when a driver is just being assisted in driving by an AI system, in which case the system only monitors the speed of the car. The next step is slightly more complex, where the AI system can even steer or increase/decrease the speed of the car. Then there is the conditional automation in which the AI can handle all the operations of the car if necessary, but a driver needs to be present in the car, so it's merely an option. The next one is highly automated cars where specific guidelines are provided to the AI system under which the car runs, and in this case, human beings can still interfere if something isn't right. And the last one is where the car is fully automated, which means that even if human beings want to interfere, they can’t, and the entire control of the car lies in the hands of the AI system. (Elezaj, 2020)

There are certain aspects of a car's AI system, which helps driving a lot safer and easier in general. Some of these are taking control of the in case of an emergency, increasing or decreasing speed to avoid traffic, detecting different kinds of traffics, and also being able to look at all the different blind spots at the same time, which is harder for human drivers to do. The AI system isn’t just related to the physical act of driving the car, but all the other aspects involved in using the car; like accessing license and registration, reminding the owner when a car service is due, and having all of the insurance details at hand, etc. (Nyholm & Smids, 2016)

Current public policy (or lack of policy)

There is currently no such policy regarding the social and public view on the release and use of AI cars, and the main reason behind this is the fact that even though the talk about AI cars has been going on for quite some time, the cars haven’t become available for commercial use as of yet; at least not to the general public. Some of the reasons for this is since the technology is so new, and it is still being tested, companies are reluctant to commercialize it because they know that even if people somehow let go of the ethical constraints which are attached to AI cars, they will not be able to afford the high costs of the car; thus making it an economic loss for the companies as well. Secondly, companies also know that they don’t have the policymakers entirely convinced either. Where they give a dozen justifications of how the car is people friendly and will benefit the overall traffic, they still haven’t been able to justify how the car is supposed to react in case it has to make a moral decision like choosing who to hit if the car has to choose between two scenarios; a young couple with a baby in the back of a car full of teenagers. The car wouldn’t have the human sense required to make that decision, and since companies haven’t been able to solve an answer, the cars haven't been open to public use, at least not the fully automated ones. And thus, the policy also lacks in the making since no commercial use yet. (Himmelreich, 2020)

Proposed Policy 150

In my opinion, there are a few different areas in which public policy should be made regarding AI cars. The first policy should be regarding the roads and infrastructures that will be open to the automated cars, and these roads will require less space and less money as all the automated cars will be conditioned to follow the system, and not make human decisions like driving outside of their lane or sudden jerks.

And the second most important policy which needs to be applied is that since traffic rules are usually followed due to the legal act of being fined on the license and registration, but since AI cars will not have drivers, it should be proposed that the owners/users of the cars be listed, and the car shouldn’t run without a designated driver with proper identification as to hold someone accountable. Also, the traffic systems will need to be very prompt and up to date, with proper Wi-Fi connectivity and network, so the AI doesn’t face any errors while driving. So this will also mean that AI cars will be restricted to a certain area where the connectivity is properly available and will be out of bounds in areas of network issues.

Argument

The reason for the first proposed policy is that smaller roads will save the government a lot of money, and people will officially have to pay lesser taxes as less money will be spent on infrastructure. Since AI cars will have more control, they will need less space to drive on, and the need for wider roads to avoid traffic issues won’t be a concern. The second policy will be required to make sure there is some level of accountability because a car can’t be held accountable for the actions, or be charged with a fine, and for that, a human presence needs to be there. Similarly, the traffic connectivity is also a must so that the car doesn’t go off the system and stop working, thus limiting it to run in a certain area.

Conclusion

There is no doubt in the fact that AI cars do have some sort of risks attached to them, but the way the technology is changing today, the launch of AI cars won't be stopped either, because consumers are always craving for MORE convenience and more use out of their products. So the best thing that can be done to satisfy the public is making sure that proper policies are put into place, to limit the amount of risk attached to a car, and also limit the level of automation in certain situations, in a way to control the level of accidents that might occur.